The Penn's Grove record., 1887-03-26
Noted Engineer bend.

would, and has left many monuments
behind him which go TO prove ill.,,
lie was born in Lavreu .ebprg. Ind.
nH May % Gs2o. lie very early de
veloped "a love for machinery, and when
only ayears old understood So well the
description of 81 steam engine made by
the engineer of an Ohio River steam.
loat that he was able to mike "a toy
steam ngiue himself that worked very
we'll. Without any help from others
he is said to have been able to take
apart "a patent lever watch and put it
together again in good order before he
was T. years old.
When young Eads~was 10 years cid
his father failed in business and moved
TO It. Louis, where The boy peddIed
apples in the street. AgterUurd. while
.IuIhe employ Of IA merchant, De got &C
cess to his employee library, which
contained a number of scientific and
practical books, and with these he laid
The foundation ON winch he built his
subsequent career.
lie began operations as a praetic ]
engineer by raising "a cargo OF zig led
from IA sunkeu barge rear Keokuk. lie
used a whisky barrel, with. the head
kuocked out, Tor a diving betI. lie
was afterward able 70 say that there
s.as not IA stretch of fifty miles of the
rivers bottom between st. Louis and
New Orleans on which he had not
5. cod in a diving bell. IN 1872 lac or
eauized d company for wreckins sunk
en- steamers and II proved Il great IL
uducial success. Three years latter he
sold out and, started 20 manufacture
glass in st. Louis. In I'VE yeals he
quit chat business with $4,000 worth
ot debts to pay and 10 assets. His
creditors lent him 1850 to slant with
In the wreekiug business again, AID
IN 1874 he was worth 100000.
soon after the war broke ont Attor-
nty General Bates called MIN to WASH
ugton, where lads prepared plans fer
for three war ships lot use on the Mis-
,issippi ana It's tributaries. These
we're followed by W iron cIads,
which he contracted To build in sixty
live days, and he fulfilled the contract,
10 these was added an altered snagboat,
..,tb,F in tw. moaths he furnished
-Tt- ir,,rlads carving l67 gums la
,tEa, I.,af. later he applied the first
.giees ever successfully used
-. 49,. b.,5Iin. at great gups
-. tsn7 ia 1874 he was engaged
h,,Ilino tIa ,reaf steel arch bridge
,,..tta Nis-is-inpi At st. louis. Hehad
.nnhIams IN that brfl,e winch had hot
.,..l t,f.r. .,vtnaa,s Eh4
men Oe7ii P''0v' 80 f.
center arcl hdd acIedl ap''" ~ wv
Two side arches were 5u2 feet each,
n.a NAL, ,yaiohjup $4,000 tens had IL
VIZ" =. tat.,, bi,b o,t.,
oe SUM i'0 H..
mutk, Though lllie'9 lSe' 81 9''N any
/ Gravel. Another pier was but Il lrlIt
H.. ty,ubIasomp. The arches were
INA mo, fine u,rts I've.
ouil' out l'o", T"
; ing supported through huge ih~d7'S 'le0'
ed ON the piers. 1t was this bridge
t,,t s,st rave Eads an mteruatioua
~
iepu't'io"'
1t was TINS ~iepV1"1'oi' 4'u'e"' '"''
afterward enabled him to make a sue
.os.rd avneriment in improving The
-. .Jississinni although Ii,
NOUN OF Wv
had about ali the Ol'leo o'"'eS e'i1''
GERS and a commission of seven OF then
nppased to him. The commission ha'
to.vnid tbeu month pv diggjn.
p''p'se" nhini,, fo Prat,,
a canal from fo't - i'i'''P ~
hav. Fad proposed 60 MAKE 'he rive
deepen it, own mouth. lie was 50 Goa
fdent of success chat lie offered to dl
thp work at his own expense. ahu wal
until lac had demonstrated his success
before le Should receive his pay. III
evstao, >yas s'mply to narrow the moutI
~ tha river hv setting piles and plant
inc yillows. He asserted that thes
i~atIias would make a Swiiter current
nLieb wouId carry m0Ie soil in su~pPll
SION. and that Ue water would thel
scnur ont a deeper channel. lie had u
On to work on one OF the mouths wiltfI
he thought not SO well adapted for th
experiment as another. but IN ION
Years. or in 1873, the United STATES "a
snecfug officer reported Il clear deptI
of thirty feet through the pass.
Nh Ead's latest scheme was IN
construction of a railroad for cairYll
tle Tsthmus OF T|ehuautepec 1874 mile
To- the Pacific ocean. lie PROPOSED i